Leadership and Operations Management at Marks and Spencer Report

This report provides a detailed analysis of leadership and operations management within Marks and Spencer (M&S). It begins by defining the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers within the company, highlighting their distinct responsibilities and contributions to the organization's success. The report then explores various examples of how leadership and management functions are applied in different situations, such as the introduction of new products or the adoption of new management systems. Furthermore, it presents and compares different leadership theories and models, including situational, system, and contingency leadership theories, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. The report also examines key approaches to operations management and the roles of leaders and managers in this context, emphasizing the importance of operational management in achieving business objectives. Finally, the report assesses the factors within the business environment that impact operational management and decision-making, offering recommendations for enhancing management systems and leveraging digital techniques to improve overall profit and efficiency. This comprehensive analysis aims to provide a thorough understanding of leadership and operational strategies within a major retail company.

Management
and
Operations 2

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................1
P1 Presenting managers and leaders with their roles and characteristics in the context of
Marks and Spencer.................................................................................................................1
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................3
P2 Presenting different examples of how the role of leader and functions of a managers apply
in different situations..............................................................................................................3
P3 Presenting different theories and models of leadership....................................................4
P4 Presenting the key approaches to operations management and role of leaders and managers
................................................................................................................................................7
P5 Presenting the importance of operation management in achieving the business objectives .8
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................9
P6 Presenting the factors within the business environment that creates impact upon
operational management and decision-making......................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Management and operations plays their important role in every business. Management
refers to those activities which are done to set up strategies of an organization and by strong
coordination with company's employees. While operations management is that area which
converts input into output. The chosen company for this project is Marks and Spencer which is
one of the leading retail company in United Kingdom. The quoted company has more than 900
stores at global level. This report will define and compare different roles and characteristics of
leader as well as managers. It also examines with various examples of how the role of leaders
and functions of managers apply in different situations. Study presents situational, system and
contingency leadership theories and models. Further it will also describe the importance of
operation management in achieving business objectives of Marks and Spencer. Lastly the
following report will assess the factors that impact upon operational management and decision
making by leaders and managers.
LO 1
P1 Presenting managers and leaders with their roles and characteristics in the context of Marks
and Spencer
Marks and Spencer is a world wide company which follows flat management structure.
Company operates more than 900 stores at global level. It has manager and leaders which always
uses their own strategies in order to maximizes company's profit as well as productivity.
Leaders: Leader is a person who influence a group of people in order to achieve goals of
a company. They work for the welfare of institution and inspires employees to attain all defined
objectives of a establishment. In Marks and Spencer, leaders always tries to innovate new ideas
to satisfies the needs of customers.
Managers: Managers are those who are in charge of a particular operation such that they
basically controls different departments of an organisation and guide workers to work for the
welfare of a company. In a quoted organization, managers are responsible to train new staff in
order to make them comfortable in the working environment.
Basis Managers Leaders
Characteristics  Managers of a company are creative  Leaders are quite
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in mind such that through their
creative mind they always promote
their employees in order to achieve
goals of a company.
 They are self-motivated which further
helps to motivate their staff members.
 An effective managers of a company
have confidence strong management
skills which helps them to manage
entire work accordingly.
 Managers of M&S are also reliable
which means that they are always
available for employees and support
their team.
different from
managers in roles as
well as in
characteristics such that
they have strong vision
which helps them to
take better decision for
the company.
 They are empathetic
such that they always
motivate their
employees to increases
their efficiency.
 Have innovative skills
which helps them to
work best for the
company
 Leaders of a company
are also passionate and
lead a team in right
way and have strong
communication skills.
Roles  Manager of Marks and Spencer plays
an important role such that they keep
monitoring entire work of a company
and then inform superior authority.
 They also hire or fire employees if the
work is not satisfactory.
 Managers also provide training to
new employees in order to make them
comfortable in the working
 The main role of leader
of a company to
motivate employees in
order to attain all
defined goals.
 As leaders have strong
vision which helps to
check what team
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environment.
 Managers has to perform functions of
motivation, encourages team spirit
and also coordinate all activities of
their subordinates.
 Manager of a listed company also
assign duties to employees and
checks whether the work is completed
on time or not.
 Provide direction to implement all
new strategies into a company.
members are perform.
 They also have good
experience which
provides them positive
results for a company.
 They also inspire
employees to raise their
efficiency so that
company's productivity
will automatically
increases.
 Leaders of a company
integrates and reconcile
all personal goals with
organizational goals.
So that it helps them to
achieve objectives of a
company.
LO 2
P2 Presenting different examples of how the role of leader and functions of a managers apply in
different situations
Marks and Spencer is one of the leading company in UK who operates in more than 900
stores in all over the world. The quoted firm have leaders as well as managers and their
employees are specialized in selling of food items and home products and clothes. In an
organization, leaders and managers plays their different roles at various situation such that:
 Introduction of new product - Marks and Spencer wants to introduce new healthy drink
products in their store. In this situation both managers and leaders of a company plays
their different roles such that leaders have strong vision power which helps them to
analyses that whether the new products will aid to assist them in profit maximization.
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While on the other hand managers of a company start implementing new strategies so
that peoples comes to know about this new product offered by Marks and Spencer.
 Another example, quoted company wants to adopt new management because currently
they follow flat management structure and now they want to adopt hierarchical system. In
this time, leader’s role is to analyse whether this new system will be fruitful for their
management and the functions of managers is to develop new strategies in order to
implement this into the working environment. Moreover, both tries to motivate and
inspire their employees how to apply new management system into working place.
 Whenever a new candidate joins a company it is role of manager to provide training
sessions to them in order to make them comfortable in the job place while on the other
side, leaders tries to motivate them to so that their efficiencies increases as a result
company's profitability as well as productivity also increases.
P3 Presenting different theories and models of leadership
Give a brief introduction of the task first than start with the main headings.
Situational Leadership Theory: The basic principle of this leadership theory is that
there is no single leadership style is best for a company. Instead, it depends upon a situation such
that which leadership theory is best suited for particular task. As per this approach, the most
effective leaders of a company are those, who are able to adapt their own style as per the task
allotted. This is basically based upon four primary leadership style such as:
 Telling: Under this, leaders tell to employees or managers, what duties do they perform
during a particular time .
 Selling: In this process, leaders of a M&S sell their ideas to employees in order to get
them also involve into the system.
 Participating: In this, leaders shows their less interest and allows their team members to
take more active role with their own ideas.
 Delegating: Under this approach, group members make most of the decision without any
interference and take almost responsibilities.
System Leadership Theory: Under this approach, organization structure is considered
as a complex system in which organizational functions are been carried out accordingly. This
theory helps to increases company's adaptability that leads to some changes related to
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environment. Under this system, decision is made or taken by a leaders as per the system because
the system are consider as a complex.
Contingency Leadership Theory: It mainly emphasizes the effectiveness of leadership
directly depend upon leaders style which they are adopting at right situation. This theory is
basically outline two style such as task motivated and relationship motivated. Using this
leadership theory, leaders come to know what type of peoples are fit to a particular position
whenever there is a vacancy. Though this theory is quite complex but it is useful to match out
professionals to right situations and helps to determine right persons.
Theories Strength Weaknesses
Situational Leadership
Theory
 Helps to creates
common language of
performance.
 Provide opportunities
to employees to get
involve in every
decision-making.
 Allows leaders to adapt
changes as per the
needs of a situation.
 Leaders faces problems
which style is best
suited for a particular
task (Wright and
Coyne, 2018).
 This approach can
create too much
importance on
immediate needs and as
a result leaders shift
their attention from
company's goals and
objectives.
 It is less flexible as
compared to others
leadership theories.
System Leadership Theory  It focus on achieving
the individual goals as
well as company's
goals (Song and et.al.,
2018).
 Sometimes it leads to
delays in decision-
making and it is not
practical.
 It is not applicable for
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 Decision are taken
without any
interference which
helps for the welfare of
a company.
 This theory is quite
adaptive and dynamic
in nature.
small organization.
 Its nature is
interdependence which
is not clearly defined.
Contingency Leadership
Theory
 This theory helps tin
flexibility of
management style.
 Helps to maintain good
relation with their
employees because
under this leader's
effectiveness is directly
depend upon the
productivity of
employees.
 It also proves that not
only leaders are
effective in all situation
but all employees are
also consider equal in
all situation.
 This theory is quite
complex and leaders
find difficulties in
order to find out which
leadership style is best
suited on particular
situation.
 It is basically reactive
in nature (Salin
Gustafsson and Frost,
2018).
 This theory is also
suffers from inadequate
literature such that it is
not provide proper
explanation for this
theory.
Recommendations:
 Marks and Spencer's leaders and managers has to cope up with different new digital
techniques in order to raise company's overall profit.
 They must enhances their management system in order to do work with more effective
way and in precise manner.
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 Company has to develop its new online system so that it helps to save cost and time of
their worker. TASK 2
P4 Presenting the key approaches to operations management and role of leaders and managers
Operational management: It is that process which basically deals with the designing
and controlling the process of production. This management system of Marks and Spencer helps
to convert all inputs into output which further helps a company to maximizes its profit. It is
mainly concerned with planning, organizing and supervising all the different departments of a
company (Roman and et.al., 2015). A quoted company also have their own operational
department such as Human resource department, marketing, sales, finance, administrating and
production department. These all department work together in order to produce the outcomes
accordingly and they always try to satisfies the ned of their customers.
Role of managers and leaders in Operational management:
 In Marks and Spencer, managers and leaders plays their won role in operational
management system. Such that leaders develop new strategies in order to maximizes
profit but on the other side, managers of a company find out ways to execute those
strategies into a working area.
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Illustration 1: Operational management

 Leaders and managers of Marks and Spencer work together in order to minimizes cost so
that company's profit gets maximized.
 Managers in operational management system basically focused on quality of offered
products while on the other side leaders of a company tries to develop new strategies or
key approaches in order to improve qualities of those products (Rodrigues, Pimentel and
Matias, 2018).
 Leaders of a quoted company make effective supply chain management system that helps
to maximizes productivity and minimizes risk while on the other hand, managers of a
company assign different works to various department in order to let people know about
their new offered products.
Various keys approaches of Operational management:
Lean production: It is a process which helps a company to minimizes their waste without
sacrificing their productivity. In marks and Spencer, leaders and managers uses lean production
because it helps to minimizes cost of the offered products and as a result it helps to maximizes
profit of a company (Pierce and Wolchyn 2018). Moreover this approach helps a company to
produce best outcome for the customers by minimizing waste and overall it affect company's
overall performance.
Six Sigma theory: It is a process of improvements. This theory basically helps to
improve the quality of output in order to identifying or removing the causes of defects. In listed
company, each six sigma process is carried out with different steps and has a specific value
targets such as reduce process cycle time, reduce pollution, minimizes cost, helps to increases
customer satisfaction and overall raise company's profit.
Total Quality Approach: it is an approach that helps to improve quality as well as
performance that will meet out customers’ expectations (Osei-Kyei and Chan, 2017). By using
Total quality approach into a working area will helps a company to improve overall activity
within a firm. This method look complete quality measures which are used by a firm which
includes managing quality design, control and maintenance etc. As this approach is basically
customers focused, process centred, integrated system, continual improvement, decisions are
based upon facts.
P5 Presenting the importance of operation management in achieving the business objectives
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Importance of operational management system
 Operational management system of a company plays an important role in M&S because
it is a process that helps in organizing, planning and managing or controlling the entire
department of a company (Importance of Operational management system, 2018).
 In the context of Marks and Spencer, operational management also helps to improve the
overall productivity of a company which further helps to maximizes production as well as
profit. OM also control the entire operations and also monitor whether the products are
produced as per the needs of a customers.
 In Marks and Spencer, Operational management also enhances the efficiency of all
employees in order to produce products as per the needs of customers. Moreover it also
handles issues such as designing, operations and maintenance of the system that are used
for production of goods.
 Under operational management system of Marks and Spencer, it also monitors whether
the efforts of employees and helps to make all inputs into output so that their customers
needs are satisfied (Onomura and et.al., 2018).
 Marks and Spencer have a operational management that helps to also uses variety of key
approaches into working areas so that it helps to minimizes cost and waste material so
that it directly creates impact upon company's overall performance and further it helps to
maximizes profit so that its objectives are attain.
 Even managers and leaders of a company also uses this key approaches in order to
improve their quality of products such that by using total quality approach which helps to
measure the attribute of all offered production (Jamous and et.al., 2018). Therefore, it is
quite necessary for Marks and Spencer because it will helps them to raise their overall
working performance as well as aid to achieve their business objectives.
LO 4
P6 Presenting the factors within the business environment that creates impact upon operational
management and decision-making
In Marks and Spencer, there are some external factors that also affect company's overall
performance and some of them are describe below:
External business factor are:
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 Technologies and innovations: New and latest developed technologies also affect
company's overall performance such that Marks and Spencer will have to come up with
different techniques in order to sustain in this competitive world (Endo and Tanaka,
2018). Moreover, when a company make products and offer services to their customers
with new innovative techniques then also this factor affects company's external
environment.
 Competition: Marks and Spencer faces tough competition in a world. Due to higher
competition, many companies are also produce their products at such a cheap rates and as
a result a quoted company should also deliver their products at least comparable
performance. Hence, this did not helps to maximizes their profit and its financial status
will affected.
 Economic environment: Country's economy will always fluctuate and as a result buying
power of a customers will also affected. Sudden and short term changes in demand
creates impact upon the capacity of utilization as well as productivity (Corsiglia and
Hunter, 2018). Even sudden changes in interest rates will also creates impact upon the
cost of financing and due to this, company's overall performance gets affected.
 Legal and environmental change: regulations and legislation of the environment also
affect company's overall performance and creates new challenges for operations
objectives. Therefore, to expand business to new area then company has to follow all he
laws and regulations which are prescribed by the government.
Applications of operational management that helps to manages external factors
 Technological change: To manage this external factor, Marks and Spencer will
uses supply chain management system as a application of Operational
management system. Such that by coping up with various new and updated
technologies into work area, company will easily sustain its brand image in
market and it also creates positive impact on the wider business environment
(Boakye and et.al., 2017).
 Competition: to manage this factor, company has to reduces their prices in order
to gain high customer base and as a result, it helps to maximizes its profit. By
improving production process of a company will also helps to decreases its cost
and therefore, it helps to gain high competitive advantages in market. M&S must
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